Record Review, August 1978

From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
... Bibliography ...
727677787980818283
848586878889909192
939495969798990001
020304050607080910
111213141516171819
202122232425 26 27 28


Record Review

US music magazines

-

Stiffs / Elvis Costello / Nick Lowe


Michael Davis

One of the side effects of the new wave's commercial success in Great Britain has been the reemergence of independent record labels. Many have been one-shots, like many of the groups themselves, but Stiff Records have not only continued to thrive in their homeland but have made inroads in this country as well, albeit with the help of major companies' distribution set-ups.

Initially, it was the quick breakthrough of The Damned, a flashy, though ultimately superficial, and short-lived punk rock band that enabled Stiff founder Jake Riviera to expand his roster of artists and to increase his promotional shenanigans. One stunt was to have a new artist play a concert in front of the hotel where CBS was having a convention. After the dust had cleared, the artist, Elvis Costello, had signed with Columbia. When Costello began to make it, his producer, Nick Lowe, also signed with Columbia, and Arista followed with an agreement to further distribute Stiff records in this country.

Stiffs Live was recorded on an English package tour and gives a good glimpse of Stiff's stable of talented eccentrics. Lowe's tunes stick close to rock 'n' roll basics; his "I Knew The Bride" evokes the same timeless feel as many of Chuck Berry's best tunes. Wreckless Eric's "Semaphore Signals" and Larry Wallis' "Police Car" are likeable enough oddities, the latter being the only rock song I'm aware of written from the perspective of a "hungry black and white."

The music of Costello and Ian Dury display a bit more depth. Dury, a spirited showman, showcases mainly his ribald wit here, although even a quick perusal of his own album, New Boots And Panties (also available through Arista), reveals many more sides to the man. Costello just plunges straight-ahead with the telling honesty that has made him instantly identifiable. "Miracle Man," from his first album, and Hal David and Burt Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" are included here.

If there was ever any doubt, This Year's Model destroys it; Elvis is not a flash-in-the-pan. I hear echoes of Lennon, Dylan and Van Morrison in his music; he has learned from the best. His songs are short and based on catchy melodies; more importantly, he projects himself through the music rather than letting musical technology act as a buffer between him and his audience.

Many of the songs on this album deal with the media, fashion, and success and Costello's distrust/disgust with them all. "This Year's Girl" tells of the dangerous consequences of image worship; "Radio, Radio" decries the anesthetizing effects of the airwaves. Beneath the outfront anger expressed in his songs, Elvis lets us see the sensitivity that leads to it; he doesn't hold much back.

In Britain's New Musical Express, Costello described his vocation as being an "irritant. Not something actively destructive, just someone who irritates, who disorientates. Someone who disrupts the daily drag of life just enough to leave the victim thinking there's maybe more to it all than the mere hum-drum quality of existence."

An inspirational irritant then; it's nice to have a few of them around.

Nick Lowe doesn't succeed on the same emotional level as Elvis, partly because of the qualities that make him a good producer. He favors sound over substance; Abba is reportedly one of his favorite groups.

But would Abba record songs with titles like "Nutted By Reality," "I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass" or "Music For Money"? Not likely. Lowe's straight-forward delivery of his humorous lyrics recall Nilsson and Warren Zevon at their best, and his control of rock dynamics should find him an audience as well.


Tags: Live StiffsNick LoweStiffJake RivieraColumbiaThe DamnedI Knew The BrideChuck BerryWreckless EricLarry WallisIan DuryMiracle ManHal DavidBurt BacharachI Just Don't Know What To Do With MyselfThis Year's ModelJohn LennonBob DylanVan MorrisonThis Year's GirlRadio, RadioNew Musical ExpressABBANutted By RealityPure Pop For Now PeopleI Love The Sound Of Breaking GlassWarren Zevon

-

Record Review, August 1978


Michael Davis reviews Live Stiffs, This Year's Model and Pure Pop For Now People.

Images

1978-08-00 Record Review page 06.jpg
Page scan.


Photo by Neil Zlozower.
1978-08-00 Record Review photo 01 nz.jpg


Cover and contents page.
1978-08-00 Record Review cover.jpg 1978-08-00 Record Review page 03.jpg

-



Back to top

External links